There’s A Bar In My Bakery: New Speakeasy Proletariat Brings Heaven To The East Village

Bars // Eat + Drink

You’d think by now we’d be over the whole speakeasy trend but well, we’re just not. The new microbrew joint from Ravi DeRossi, the guy behind Death and Co. and The Bourgeois Pig (he’s really got a monopoly on Alphabet City huh?), is hidden behind Jane’s Sweet Buns bakery and filled with a smell so mouth-watering it’s almost torture. As we’re sitting at the counter sipping a Belgian ale to the sounds of Frank Zappa, the bakery’s cashier walks by with samples of chocolate cake. Nirvana, reached.

The inspiration was Lower East Side tattoo shops, so the whole place basically oozes cool (as if “bar in a bakery” doesn’t sound amazing enough). Sailor Jerry prints line the walls, tap water is poured from Old English 40s, and the drafts list reads “let’s get weird.” Which you will, especially after one or two of their (very strong) signature beer cocktails or high-alcohol brews. “Rare and unusual beers” is the motto, so don’t expect to recognize much on the drafts or bottles lists. That’s OK, though, because the extremely knowledgeable bar keep Cory is there to offer taste tests and verbally guide you through their selection — verbally, because the bottles list isn’t even printed; you have to scan their QR barcode with a smart phone to reach a link to their bottles list. (New proposed motto: “We’re so speakeasy, we don’t even have a menu”). Or, just sit back and let Cory recommend something to your liking. Either way, you’ll end up with a cold glass of phenomenal beer.

It’s the kind of vibe and service we’ve come to expect from DeRossi joints: No fuss, no flash, just bangin’ drinks and badass atmosphere. Just get there early — 10-seat bars wait for no one. Open 5pm daily 102 St. Mark’s Place, NY 10009 Tel 212-777-6707 Proletariatny.com